Joey Coulter wins the ARCA 200; Brian Tillema also victorious
Marne, MI- The ARCA Series was back at Berlin Raceway this past Saturday night. It was a perfect night and the fans were treated to some great racing action by both the ARCA Series and the Kerkstra Services Pro Stocks. Winners for the feature races included #76 Brian Tillema (Pro Stocks) and first time feature winner #16 Joey Coulter(ARCA).
The first feature of the night was the Kerkstra Services Pro Stocks. Starting on front row were #18 Mitch Meppelink and #22 Darin Niemi. Dave Hull in the #20 took the quick lead from Meppelink, the only thing that slowed Hull down was a caution on lap 8. Meppelink lost control going into turn 2, Brandon Hermiller in the #6 car went off the back stretch to avoid any contact. A lap was barely complete off the restart when once again Meppelink brought out the yellow, he spun between turns 1 and 2. Brian Tillema in the #76 benefited from the restart; Tillema quickly past Hull for the lead. Tillema would fight off Hull and #51 Weston Jewett for the win. Not only did Tillema win the feature, but with his win he would move to first in the point standing’s, leading Jewett by two points.
The ARCA Series was up next, West Michigan native and fan favorite Brian Campbell in the #24 car started on the poll. The #22 Dakoda Armstrong got off to a fast start, it wasn’t until lap 17 that a new leader would emerge. The #44 of Frank Kimmel passed Armstrong underneath, Campbell had moved into second on by lap 22. Armstrong gained a bigger lead as Campbell was slowed by traffic. The first caution of the night flew when #23 Levi Youster lost control by turn 1. On the restart and with no traffic in sight, Campbell began to chase down Armstrong. The #44 car of Kimmel had an extra gear left in him and lost Campbell; a new driver would surface in the hunt for first as Sheltra in the #60 was Campbell’s tail. At the half way mark of the 200 lap feature, Kimmel, Campbell, and Sheltra were all on top of each other. Sheltra finally took the lead as he squeezed between Kimmel and Campbell on the front stretch on lap 103. The outside lane hadn’t been friendly to Campbell all night, but on lap 133 he tried the inside lane going into turn 4 and took the lead from Sheltra. Joey Coulter in the #16 car was also making his move to the front and was gaining on Campbell fast. The action was halted on lap 146, when #32 Justin Marks spun coming out of turn 1 and leader Campbell spun to avoid him. Out of the restart Campbell started tenth and Coulter was the new leader. Another flag flew for Campbell and Kimmel on lap 169; Campbell would pit and not return. Coulter would hold his ground though, not even another caution would deter his quest for victory, on lap 175 the #31 of Tim George Jr. hit the wall coming out of turn 3. Coulter would continue to lead as Sheltra and #55 Steve Arpin began to fight for second. Neither Sheltra nor Arpin had enough to catch the speedy Coulter, as he took the checker flag for the first time in his career.
Up next for Berlin Raceway is the USAC Silver Crown and USAC Midget Series. The Thursday night event will feature stars like Shane Hmiel and A.J. Fike. The special Berlin event will have a discounted rate for those who attended the ARCA Show this past Saturday. Fans that bring in their ARCA 200 ticket stubs will receive $5 off either an adult ticket or senior ticket. Adult tickets are $20, seniors 60+ are $18, children 6-12 are $5, and children under the age of 5 are FREE. For any additional information, please visit Berlinraceway.com.
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Marisela Rodriguez
616.662.2051
Marisela@berlinraceway.com
www.berlinraceway.com
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